Saving Arthur
by rubberglue
Summary: A 5 times fic. 5 times Gwen saves Arthur.
1. Superstition

AN: Here's a short fic that I've decided to post since my big bang fic is just not cooperating right now. :/

* * *

Gwen took one step into the forest. She wasn't supposed to be there - dad would be so angry with her - but the sun was shining high in the sky and the forest really didn't look any more dangerous than the fields that she usually played in. Maybe she would be able to find some new wildflowers. The townspeople often spoke about the forest as if it were haunted but Gwen didn't believe in ghosts. They were stories probably cooked up to stop her and the other children from playing in it. One of the more fanciful stories she heard was that if a boy rescued a girl in the forest, they would be bound together for life. When Elyan told her that, she had laughed at him. Anyway, she was going to be very careful and no one would need to rescue her.

The smell of fresh grass and the feel of the wind in her hair filled Gwen with a sense of freedom she never felt back home where dad and Elyan were constantly arguing, where her mother suffered from one bout of sickness, then another. Here, the damp grass under her bare feet, the songs of birds in the air, she was just Gwen. A smile blossomed on her face as she ran through the forest as fast as she could, stumbling now and then over twigs and stones, but never stopping.

"Hello?"

Gwen stopped, her hand reaching out for a tree trunk to stabilize herself. It must have been the leaves rustling in the wind because as far as she could see, she was alone. When there was no other sound except her pounding heart, she got ready to run again. Back home this time.

"Hello? Is someone there?"

Gwen whipped around, a chill enveloping her. She was pretty sure she was all alone. And ghosts were not real, she chanted to herself.

"Hello! I can hear you breathing, you know." The voice sounded annoyed now, almost petulant.

"Hi?" Gwen leaned back against the tree, its rough back biting into her back. At least now, no one would be able to attack her from behind. "Where are you? You're not a ghost are you?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I'm not a ghost. Come and help me!" The voice scoffed. There was a tone of authority and Gwen knew instinctively that unlike her, he was not a commoner.

Edging closer to where the voice seemed to be coming from, she saw what looked like a disused well, almost completely hidden behind years of weeds. She peered in and saw a blond boy glaring up at her, a pout on his face.

"Took you long enough. Don't just stand there! I don't want to die here."

"You're so rude!" Gwen huffed as she leaned over the well and reached down. The boy grabbed her hands and with all the strength she had, she pulled. They tumbled onto the damp grass in a heap, breathing heavily. He was heavy and she shoved at him. Obligingly, he rolled over, panting.

"Are you ok?" She stared at him. He looked oddly familiar but she couldn't place him.

"Yeah." The boy eyed her warily. "Are you a servant?"

"I am a blacksmith." She stood up so she towered over him. What a prat.

"I don't believe it anyway." He stood too and Gwen realised he wasn't as tall as her. It was also then she noticed the royal shield on his belt buckle.

"Believe what?" She wondered who in the royal family he was. Surely he wasn't the prince because who would let the prince wander around the forest on his own?

"That dumb story about the forest. Also, you're not a boy and I'm not a girl and there's no way I'll ever marry a lowly blacksmith."

Shocked at his impertinence, she stuck out her tongue at him. "Well, I wouldn't marry you even if you were the King of Camelot." Then she ran because he might be the prince and she didn't want to get hauled into the dungeons for being rude to him.


	2. Grace

"You don't usually care about the knights training. Why today?" Gwen walked down with Katie towards the training grounds.

Gwen shrugged. "Perhaps I want to see if the Knights of Camelot are as brilliant as the prince likes to claim they are."

Katie's eyes widened and she quickly shushed Gwen. "You can't say things like that!"

"Like what? The prince is constantly bragging about the knights and himself." Lowering her voice, Gwen mocked the prince. "I fight with the grace of a butterfly, the strength of a dragon. There's no one in Albion who can defeat me. Look at my perfection."

Katie pursed her lips, trying to stem her laughter. "He is a pompous ass, isn't he? I heard him tell your mistress that he was braver than any man."

Rolling her eyes, Gwen sighed. "He's also rude."

Katie nodded in agreement but before she could say anything, they had reached the training ground.

All the knights of Camelot fought effectively. Well trained, they were quick and brutal, easily dispatching their opponents. Grudgingly, Gwen admitted to herself only that the prince was different. He was just as effective as his knights but he was also a lot more graceful. Every movement was like a dance and Gwen realised that it was actually a joy to watch him train, except she was never going to admit that to anybody because despite his finesse on the training grounds, he was still an arrogant, selfish prat. Anyway, the only reason she took the time to even be here today was to complete her mission. A mission to keep the prince alive.

As a servant in the castle, she was invisible, which was apparently a good thing when uncovering assassination plots because that was exactly what she did as she dusted Sir Walter's room. There he sat, uncomfortably (for her) shirtless, chatting quite carelessly to his friend Sir Something-or-another about his plan to poison the young prince.

Her first plan was to tell Gaius, the elderly royal physician but he said that unless she had proof, it would do her no good to tell anyone. Who would believe her? And so, after much fretting, she developed her second plan. She only hoped that the fates would cooperate and all would go well.

In front of her, the prince happily sparred with his knights, taunting them mercilessly before beating them easily and mocking them. Gwen rolled her eyes and not for the first time wondered if saving the prince was actually a good idea. If he died, they might get a better one installed on the throne, maybe her mistress even.

Still, when it was Sir Walter's turn to spar with the prince, she watched intently and at the exact moment that Sir Walter lifted his poisoned sword, Gwen tumbled inelegantly into him, knocking the sword out of his hands and bowling the prince over. And once more, she found herself tangled in a heap with the prince. A very unamused prince.

"What was that about?" Not very gallantly, the prince pushed himself to his feet and then yanked her up.

"I'm fine. Thank you for asking," she snapped. The prince's scowl only got deeper.

"What happened? I could have hurt myself!" Then, his eyes ran over her and Gwen had to take a breath to stop herself from shivering under his gaze. "You could have gotten hurt."

Sir Walter still sat on the ground, glaring at her but she ignored him. "I tripped." Gwen tried to sound as contrite as possible.

"While standing still? I noticed you were there, not moving until you suddenly fell into the training ground." He moved closer to her, suspicion in his eyes.

"You noticed me?" Why did that even matter Gwen asked herself. What was wrong with her brain? The prince was standing far too close to her now and she hated that she could see the lashes that framed his blue eyes.

There was an odd note in his voice when he replied. "Of course I noticed you."

For a strange moment, Gwen felt that it was just her and the prince all alone.

"Sire." Sir Walter stood up, breaking that strange spell much to Gwen's gratefulness. "She should be punished for her carelessness! You can't let your servants be so impudent as to simply barrel into us when we are training."

Gwen turned on him. "Impudent? I'm not the one trying to kill the prince for some money!"

"How dare you -" She ducked the hand that moved towards her then realised that the prince had caught it in a tight grip.

"Say that again. What did you say he was doing?"

Trying to appear more confident than she was feeling, she shrugged. "He has a plan to kill you."

Sir Walter lunged towards her but was held back by the prince. "She's a liar!"

"You do know what the penalty is for spreading lies about nobles."

The prince's eyes narrowed at her and she stuck her chin up. She could hear the warning in his voice and nodded as calmly as she could. "If you check his sword, you'd see it's been rubbed with poison. He was supposed to nick you with it and let the poison seep into you."

Gwen would never forget the sense of relief that swept through her when Gaius confirmed that the sword was indeed coated with poison. Hands clasped in front of her, Gwen slowly explained how she knew of the plot. All the time, she could feel the prince's eyes on her. The King ordered a reward be presented to her and then dismissed her from the throne room so he could deal with Sir Walter.

A small bag of coins in her hand, Gwen whistled as she walked down the corridor. A hand darted out and grabbed her, pulling her into an alcove where she came face to face with the prince.

"It seems that I owe you an apology and a thank you. For saving my life." The lack of practise he had with such things were obvious with the way he kept shifting his weight and how he couldn't keep his eyes on her face. Inwardly, Gwen sighed. At least this could be considered some sort of improvement.

"I am just glad I was right - not that I am glad he wanted to kill you - but that he tried - oh -" Obviously her brain wasn't working again but who could blame her when she was standing way too close to the prince who was staring at her with his bright blue eyes.

A smile crept onto his face. "You surprise me, Guinevere. And thank you again." A light touch on her cheek and he was gone. Slowly she brought her fingers up to her cheek.

He knew her name.


	3. Riddles

Gwen was fetching water when Arthur fell into step next to her. "Need some help?"

Tilting her chin up, she replied haughtily. "I wouldn't dare ask his royal highness for help."

His grin made funny things happen to her stomach so she turned away and focused her eyes on the running water.

"Are you still upset that I didn't help you catch those mice yesterday? I had to go train the knights." From the corner of her eye, she saw his grin get wider. "Also, I'd never have thought brave Guinevere would be afraid of a few mice."

Gwen kept her chin in the air as she turned off the tap. With a quick turn, she slipped away from the prince. Behind her, she heard his laugh. It travelled through her spine, and she quickened her steps. Ever since she rescued him from Sir Hubert, the prince conveniently appeared in places where she was far too often for her comfort. And while, very aware of her status, she tried to discourage any conversation, the prince was a stubborn ass.

And why on earth the prince was following her around was a riddle to her.

Cook was in a foul mood again and this time, Gwen bore most of the brunt. It was partly her fault. She'd been distracted during dinner service and spilled some food. Cook hated wastage. As penance, Gwen had volunteered to stay back and clean up the kitchen. That had mollified Cook somewhat. Finally alone, Gwen hummed as she cleaned the pots.

Footsteps made her stop. Slowly, she turned around to see the prince leaning casually against the entrance to the kitchen. Her traitorous heart jumped. "Why are you here?" She snapped rudely. If her dad was here, he would be appalled at her manners.

"Merlin said you were being punished. I thought that since I was free and I still owed you for not helping with the mice, I'd come down and lend a hand."

"Hmmph." Gwen turned back to the dirty pots and dishes. "You could put the clean pots away."

She continued to scrub at the pots when she realised the prince wasn't doing anything. "I thought you wanted to help?"

There was a shamefaced smile on his face. "I don't actually know where the things go."

Gwen rolled her eyes as a responding smile spread on her face. "You scrub then." And as she pottered around behind the prince, placing the dishes and pots back in their places, it occurred to her that the prince doing menial labour was actually pretty attractive.

When her back was turned, she felt water splashed on her. With an indignant gasp, she turned back to the prince who had the world's worst innocent face on. Grabbing a handful of flour, she tossed it as him, then squealed when he darted after her.

And that was how she and Arthur - she was even referring to him as Arthur and not the prince - developed some sort of strange, secret friendship.

It was completely inappropriate and yet, they would bump into each other along the castle corridors and he would smile and ask how she was and she would attempt to be witty because it made him laugh and as much as she didn't want to admit it, he had a nice laugh. Some days, he'd maneuver himself to wherever she was working and insist on helping her. Other days, he'd imperiously summon her to bring things to her chambers, things, Gwen was very aware he didn't need.

When Merlin suddenly became Arthur's new manservant, Gwen found herself spending even more time with the prince. She had to admit that this wasn't a bad development. Under the threat of torture, she might even admit that she quite liked the prince.

"You have to solve a riddle or you'll have to fight Lord Samuel to the death, which may or may not lead to war between the two kingdoms? That doesn't even make any sense."

Flopping onto his bed, Arthur sighed dramatically. "You would make it sound so foolish. It's all part of a larger quest."

Merlin chuckled as he polished Arthur's shoes.

"Oh shut up," moaned Arthur, lifting his arm to grab a pillow to chuck at Merlin. "The point is I need to solve this riddle so I can go get past the guard and into the cave where I can retrieve the Crystal of - uh, what was it?"

"Of Estche." Merlin obligingly answered. "Show Gwen the riddle."

Arthur sat up and dug under his pillow, before retrieving a somewhat sad looking scrap of paper which he shoved in her direction. Putting down the vase she was holding, she reached over and grabbed it.

"Huh." The riddle seemed easy enough so she wondered why neither of them were able to come up with answer.

"The answer isn't dragon. We tried that already and all we got was a large fireball thrown at us. Good thing we are young and nimble. The problem is we only have one more try."

Arthur simply groaned again. "Any ideas? I really don't want to be the cause of a war between our kingdoms."

"Then you shouldn't go round taking things that don't belong to you."

"It was lying on the ground in the forest. How was I supposed to know it belonged to some great yet incredibly unreasonable wizard?" Arthur huffed angrily as he glared at Merlin who was shaking his head.

"Dragon eggs?" Gwen suggested. The two men shook their heads. Then it dawned on her. "Dragonborn! It must be. Look - the first letter of each word spells that out."

"You're brilliant!" Merlin grinned as he squeezed her shoulder. "You might have just saved us all." And before she knew it, the two of them, one initially sprawled on the bed and the other on the floor, were suddenly all ready to ride off to collect the crystal.

"Be careful!"

And out the blue, Arthur pressed a swift kiss to her cheek. "Thank you."

For the next few minutes, Gwen stood slightly stunned.

* * *

AN: There's something really fun about revisiting my older fics. :) Again, thanks for all the comments.


	4. Fire and Ice

The horns sounded, alerting the kingdom to the return of the prince and his knights. Immediately, excited chatter rose among the other servants in the laundry area and Gwen could hear the castle come to life as they prepared for the prince's return. Her fingers tightened around the shirt she was washing and she sucked in a breath to steady her suddenly racing heart.

"This must mean the prince defeated Lord Maynard's men!"

"I hope so. My aunt lives in a border town and it hasn't been easy with all the attacks by Lord Maynard. I'm glad the King decided to do something about it."

"I heard the King was reluctant but the prince insisted on going."

Gwen couldn't take it anymore. Dropping the shirt into the basket, she stood, ignoring the stares of the other servants, and ran to the main castle door. As she approached the main entrance where the King and the councilmen stood, she slowed and slipped into an alcove. The horns sounded again and Gwen knew that Arthur and his men had arrived. From where she was, she couldn't see clearly but she could see the commotion and hear the hooves of the horses.

Then, she saw the first knight enter the castle. And then another.

Finally, she heard King Uther's voice. Darting out of the alcove, she walked as calmly as possible across the corridor so that she would walk past the King. She kept her head bowed but from the corner of her eyes, she saw Arthur next to his father. A bruise covered his face and there was blood on his armor. Only the fact that he was walking without help eased Gwen's anxiety.

She knew the moment he noticed her. His eyes were ringed with dark circles, evidence of his exhaustion, but when their eyes met across the King, his eyes lit up and a small smile crossed his face.

It was enough to make her heart sing. Gwen bit down on her lip to stop herself from grinning, then rushed back to her laundry.

"Hey." Warm fingers covered hers, taking her shawl out of her hands, then wrapping it around her just as she was about to make her way home. Once that was done, he rested his hands on her shoulders. Gwen allowed herself to smile and lean into him.

"Are you alright?" She asked quietly, turning to face him. Tentatively, she raised her hand to touch the bruise on his face.

"I'm still standing, aren't I?" His face broke into a grin. "Did you worry about me?"

Gwen punched him gently. "It's not funny! Why did you have to go? You could have just sent your men."

"Guinevere," he said as he cupped her face. "Haven't we had this conversation before?"

She sighed and nodded. They did, just before he left. And Gwen understood why Arthur had to go but it didn't mean she had to like it. WIthout warning, Arthur enveloped her in a hug and Gwen felt him kiss her hair. When she lifted her face and Arthur dipped his, their lips meeting in a hesitant kiss for the first time, Gwen knew her life was going to change forever.

"Are you free?" Merlin popped suddenly into the kitchen where she was helping cook with the dinner preparations.

Glancing at the usually grumpy cook whose face was about to fold into a frown at Merlin's disruption, Gwen shook her head and mouthed the word "later".

"Hurry. It's important." And then Merlin was gone, leaving Gwen wondering what on earth had happened now.

Later, after she carved the meat and dispensed the wine, she slipped out of the kitchen, surprised to see that Merlin was waiting for her outside.

"You and Arthur." Merlin said meaningfully the moment they entered Merlin's tiny room.

Heat flooded her face. "You called me out for this? Really Merlin -"

"I've seen the way you two look at each other, how your fingers brush when you serve him wine -"

Gwen felt her face burn but she kept her voice calm. "I don't know what you are talking about. The kitchen is busy today so -"

Merlin grabbed her arm as she turned to leave. "It's quite obvious. Even a blind man can see how you feel about each other."

"And even if that was so, nothing will come of it." Although her tone was flippant, the pain of this reality she had pushed to the back of her mind returned. As much as she enjoyed Arthur's company, as much as she enjoyed the snatches of time she had alone with him, as much as she couldn't stop remembering how her body had reacted when he kissed her that day, the sensible part of her knew that whatever it was, it would amount to nothing and she would be the one left with a broken heart. Arthur was crown prince. He would, as all crown princes had in years past, marry a noble lady, possibly one chosen by his father. "What does it matter?"

Merlin was still holding to her arm and she tugged at it. This was not a discussion she wanted to have.

"I need you to kiss him."

"What?"

"I think - no, I know you're his true love. And right now, he's been cursed and turned into marble and according to some secret sources, he needs a kiss."

Gwen frowned at Merlin. "Turned into marble?"

"Are you really surprised? This is Camelot."

"If all he needs is a kiss, then I'm sure lots of people would be willing to kiss him. I really have to -"

"A kiss from his true love of course. We have to at least try -"

Her heart sank as she looked into Merlin's eyes. She couldn't say no yet it scared her, not knowing which was worse - confirmation that she was Arthur's true love yet know they had no future, or learning that she wasn't his true love.

Kissing a marble statue was exactly what it sounded like - a cold, hard experience. Gwen did it quickly, pressing her lips briefly to his cold marble ones, refusing to think about how different this kiss was from the one they shared before, then pulling away quickly. From a corner of Arthur's room, she watched as he slowly came back to life, a mix of relief and misery in her heart. Before he could say anything, she left his room.

It was foolish to expect that Arthur wouldn't come by that evening, but she wished he didn't look so pleased.

"Merlin tells me you're my true love." He smiled, his eyes full of affection as he passed her a single rose. "Thank you, for saving me. Again."

"You're welcome." Automatically, she took the rose then stood awkwardly as she watched as Arthur moved closer. His hand came up and cupped her cheek and panic overwhelmed her. This was such a bad idea.

Ducking, she quickly moved from him. "It's late and I had a long day."

Hurt crossed his face and his hand fell. "What is it? Tell me."

"Maybe I'm your true love but that doesn't mean you are mine." That was nonsense and it tore at her heart to say it but it was best to end it all now before things got too deep.

"You don't mean that. Guinevere -" Again, he stepped towards her and when she didn't move, he cupped her cheek again. "I know I've never said it but I've never loved another."

He was going to kiss her. She could see it in his eyes. And instead of stepping away, of telling him that this was a bad idea, she let her eyes close and her lips part. The kiss was slow, gentle, teasing. Her hands slid up his chest to his shoulders and she let him pull her closer until she wasn't quite sure where he ended and she started.

Eventually, he pulled away and for a while, they just stared at each other. "Tell me you don't love me," he whispered, his breath brushing against her lips.

"I - nothing can happen between us. I'm just a servant."

"No. You're not just a servant. And things will change when I become king."

"Arthur." She stepped back although her hand was still in his. "We are fooling ourselves. It will be years before you become king. You can't expect me to wait." It was a lie. Gwen knew she would wait if Arthur asked her to.

Arthur's hand dropped hers. "I'm sorry. I was, as you always tell me, only thinking of myself."

When Gwen raised her eyes to his, she could see her own pain reflected in them. The determination she felt to maintain her distance from Arthur weakened.

"I should go," he murmured, taking a step back. "Thank you for -"

Perhaps it was the despair in his voice. Perhaps it was the wetness in his eyes. Whatever it was, Gwen took a step forward, flung herself at him and kissed him. His arms encircled her, holding her tightly against him and he kissed her back desperately.

"Do you trust me?" Arthur asked when they finally broke apart. His fingers were tangled in her hair, his lips swollen from their kiss.

Gwen nodded silently, unable to stop looking into his eyes, eyes that looked back at her as if she was the most precious thing on earth.

"I love you Guinevere and I promise you, we'll be together. Just wait for me, please." It was foolish she knew but sometimes it was good to have hope, so she nodded again, praying desperately that this was the right decision. She sank into his embrace and for the first time, he stayed the night at her house.


	5. Embers

Standing in the corner of the room, her hands wrapped around the jug she was holding, Gwen kept her eyes on Arthur, his father's crown on his head, nodding and smiling at one of the Lords. Despite his facade, Gwen knew that he was hurting inside - it was in the way he held his goblet a little too tightly, the way his smile never reached his eyes, the way his eyes sought out hers every now and then. She wanted so much to sit with him, hold his hand and provide him the comfort he needed but for now, despite Uther's death and Arthur's hasty coronation that morning, she was still Gwen, another faceless servant in the castle.

That night, he asked her to stay and while she lay in bed, wondering where they went from her, his arm held her tight and he slept deeply, his face buried in her hair.

And suddenly, everyone knew. There was no announcement, no huge ceremony, but Arthur took their relationship public in small ways - cupping her face in public, enquiring about her welfare, smiling blatantly at her during dinners. Then, when he returned, later than expected, from one of his many expeditions, Gwen ran into the town square, in front of the knights and everyone else, and flung herself at him, the laughter that he huffed out against her ear music to her heart.

* * *

While Gwen was perfectly comfortable crafting a sword, plunging one into the back of a bandit who was attempting to kill Arthur from behind was a completely different thing. The feel of the blade entering flesh, the scream of the bandit and the blood all made for a very disturbing experience, one she fervently hoped she would never have to repeat.

Arm trembling, she dropped the sword and stared as the bandit writhed on the ground, blood spilling out of his wound. Arthur quickly dispatched the other bandit, then quickly finished off the one on the ground. Gwen swallowed and turned away. Realising that their little picnic date was completely ruined, Arthur wrapped his arms around her and took her back to Camelot.

With their relationship so public, no one batted an eyelid as the King and her entered the castle and he whisked her quickly into his room.

"Merlin. Prepare Gwen a bath."

Merlin opened his mouth, about to make a quip when he saw Gwen's pale face. Nodding he disappeared from the room.

"I'm fine. Really. I've just never really had to do something like that before. The most I've done is clank swords with some people."

Arthur settled her on his bed and rubbed her back. "And I wish you never had to. You've saved my life again. How many times has this been already?"

Leaning into his pillows, she chuckled. "Far too many to count."

"Hmm. Good thing that I snapped you up the moment I could then." Arthur dropped a kiss on her head before Merlin entered again, dragging the bath behind him. Quietly, he prepared the bath, occasionally looking at Gwen with concern. Every time he did that, Gwen tried to smile. Arthur was fussing enough over her. She didn't need Merlin doing the same.

Although the screen maintained her privacy, it was slightly awkward to bathe in the same room as Arthur. As she splashed the water on herself, she wondered what Arthur was thinking. Did he have the same thoughts of her as she did of him late at night? The thought sent shivers down her spine to her center and she quickly turned her thoughts to the list of chores she needed to complete.

Later, Arthur and her sat on the ground in front of the fire as he slowly towelled her damp hair. It had taken a while for her to be comfortable in this relationship. Now, she couldn't imagine things being any other way. For a long time, they sat in silence watching as the fire was reduced to embers.

"Remember the very first time you saved me? In the forest?" Slowly, he shifted so he faced her. There was seriousness in his eyes and all she could do was nod. She hadn't thought of that incident in a long time. "You know the superstition that rescuing me in the forest meant we would be bonded for life?"

She nodded again. Where was he going with this?

"Let's make it official. Marry me." She stared at him. What did one do when the King of Camelot proposed? "I planned to ask you at the picnic but that didn't turn out so well. Say you'll marry me."

"Yes." It was a whisper but it was enough. From somewhere, he dug out a band then slipped it on her finger. Tears filled her eyes as she stared at the plain band.

"It was my mothers," Arthur said, his voice low, as if he too was in tears. She directed her gaze back at him and he was smiling at her. "You'll have her wedding band as well - if you want."

Gwen nodded, bit her lower lip then brought her arms up to wrap around his neck. "I think you should kiss me now."

His laugh was short and Arthur dragged her closer, pressing her against him and finally, his lips teased hers. With a growl, she reached up, grabbed his head and deepened the kiss.

"I love you," Arthur said. "So much. That day in the forest? I never knew but it was the most important day in my life."

"Not today?"

With another laugh, Arthur kissed her again.

Through the night, In front of the burning embers, they sat holding each other, basking in the novelty of being engaged.

* * *

AN: There's one more part! When Gwen doesn't save Arthur. In the meantime, thanks for the comments! :D


	6. The scariest things

Gwen laughed as Merlin said something, then pulled the cloth from the basket to show her what he'd prepared for their picnic. After a very stressful few days dealing with the delegation from Rhegad, Gwen was looking forward to the picnic. Just her and Merlin and fresh air and hopefully, fresh food from the kitchens.

Someone cleared his throat and Gwen looked up at Arthur. "Ready for your picnic?"

Gwen smiled. "I am looking forward to it." She took a step towards him and pressed her lips against his cheek. The bristles of his beard rubbed against her lips. "You need a shave."

"That I do." Arthur rubbed his chin. "You sure I can't come along?"

"I remember someone saying that he wanted to spend more time with his children. You did promise to take them to the fields and they are all excited now."

Almost as if mentioning them conjured them up, Gwen heard first their footsteps and then their laughter. Before Gwen could react, Anne was wrapped around her leg while her younger brother, Gwydre ran up to Arthur, his saliva soaked hands petting Arthur's trousers with abandon.

Arthur sighed as he picked Gwydre up, flinching when Gwydre started to pet his face. "I did think we would both do this together."

"No. Merlin and I have plans." Gwen grinned as worry shone from Arthur's eyes. "They will behave, won't you Anne?"

Anne nodded, then released Gwen's leg to latch on to Arthur's. "We're going to the fields to play! I want to catch butterflies and then we can pick flowers! I want to be carried Dad!"

"Butterflies!" Gwydre pulled at Arthur's hair. "Flowers!"

Absently, Arthur ruffled Anne's hair but kept his pleading eyes on Gwen. "Save me," he mouthed.

Gwen grinned. "You'll be fine. George will be with you."

"Yeah sure," Arthur muttered unconvinced as he pried Gwydre's hand from his hair while Anne clung to his leg demanding to be carried as well. "I might have been slightly hasty in promising this."

Laughing, Gwen reached up and kissed him. "Be good ok?" She said as she hugged the children before giving Arthur a little shove, smiling as he scowled at her, then walked away with Anne still clinging to his leg. From the distance, she could hear Anne demanding to be carried.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Merlin.

"He'll be fine. It's about time he learns to deal with them alone." Maybe some time later, she and Merlin would go by the fields to see how Arthur was coping.

* * *

AN: This is the end. It's a short epilogue / one time Gwen didn't save Arthur chapter but I hope it's fluffiness made up for it. :)

If you're interested, I'm still struggling with the big bang (ugh) and I think I will post my previous big bang up next. Maybe. It's a pity ffn doesn't allow smut. :p


End file.
